1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connector devices, and more particularly to a card edge connector device into which a card edge having a plurality of terminals arranged in a row thereon is inserted to be connected thereto.
A common card edge connector device includes a housing formed of a synthetic resin and a plurality of terminal members fixedly inserted side by side in a row into the housing, and is provided to, for example, the input section of an information device. As an amount of information processed by an information device increases, there is a greater need for the card edge connector device to include an increased number of the terminal members without changing its outer dimensions, that is, to narrow a pitch between each two adjacent terminal members. Needless to say, the terminal members are required to be fixed with sufficient strength.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional card edge connector device 10. The card edge connector device 10 includes a housing 20 and a plurality of terminal members 30 fixedly inserted side by side in a row into the housing 20. X1-X2 represents the longitudinal dimension, Y1-Y2 represents the rear-and-front dimension and Z1-Z2 represents the vertical dimension, respectively, of the card edge connector device 10.
As shown in FIGS. 2 through 4, the housing 20, which is formed of an electrically insulating synthetic resin, is shaped like a rectangular solid. On the front (Y2) side, the housing 20 includes a card edge insertion slot 21 into which an edge 41 of a card 40 is inserted, and on the rear (Y1) side, a plurality of slits 22 arranged side by side in a row along the longitudinal (X1-X2) length of the housing 20. Each two adjacent slits 22 have a pitch P1 therebetween. Each of the slits 22 has a shape corresponding to that of each of the terminal members 30, and includes a hole-like slit portion 22a as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.
Each of the terminal members 30 includes a connection terminal portion 31 of a fork-like shape for receiving a card edge, a mounting terminal portion 32 and an arm portion 33.
As indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 2, the terminal members 30 are incorporated into the housing 20 with the connection terminal portions 31 being inserted into the slits 22 from the rear side of the housing 20 so that the arm portions 33 are fixedly pressed into the hole-like slit portions 22a. According to this structure, each two adjacent terminal members 30 have the pitch P1 therebetween as shown in FIG. 4.
The card edge connector device 10 having the above-described structure is mounted on a circuit board 50 with the mounting terminal portions 32 soldered thereto. The card 40 includes the edge 41 on which terminals 42 are arranged in a row. The edge 41 of the card 40 is inserted into the card edge insertion slot 21 to be connected to the card edge connector device 10.
According to the above-described card edge connector device 10, all of the terminal members 30 are incorporated into the housing 20 from the same side, that is, from its rear side. Therefore, all of the hole-like slit portions 22a are formed on the rear side of the housing 20. As a result, positions 60 at which the arm portions 33 are fixed are arranged side by side in a row in the housing 20 along the X1-X2 direction.
In order that the arm portions 33 can be fixedly pressed into the hole-like slit portions 22a, it is necessary to prevent a wall portion 23 formed between each two adjacent hole-like slit portions 22a from being broken when the arm portions 33 are pressed into the hole-like slit portions 22a. This is because breakages of the wall portions 23 weaken the forces of the hole-like slit portions 22a to lock the arm portions 33. For the convenience of graphical representation, the thickness of the wall portion 23 is shown considerably thicker in FIG. 4 than it really is.
According to the above-described conventional card edge connector device 10, each of the wall portions 23 is formed to have a thickness t1 so as not to be broken when the arm portions 33 are pressed into the hole-like slit portions 22a, and the pitch P1 between each two adjacent terminal members 30 is determined by the thickness t1 of each of the wall portions 23. Therefore, it is difficult to further narrow the pitch P1 between each two adjacent terminal members 30.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a connector device in which the above disadvantages are eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a connector device including a narrowed pitch between each two adjacent terminal members.
The above objects of the present invention are achieved by a connector device including a housing including first and second sides opposing each other, first terminal members attached to the first side of the housing, and second terminal members attached to the second side of the housing, wherein each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side, and the first and second terminal members have respective contact portions for external connection, the contact portions being arranged side by side.
According to the above-described structure, the connector apparatus is allowed to include a narrower pitch between each two adjacent terminal members. Therefore, the connector apparatus can hold an increased number of the terminal members without changing its outer dimensions.
The above objects of the present invention are also achieved by a connector device including a housing including first and second sides opposing each other, first terminal members attached to the first side of the housing, and second terminal members attached to the second side of the housing, wherein each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side, and each of the first and second terminal members has first and second contact portions for external connection, the first contact portions of said first and second terminal members being alternately arranged side by side.
The above objects of the present invention are further achieved by a connector device including: a housing including first and second sides opposing each other; first slits which include respective first slit portions and are formed in the housing from the first side thereof; second slits which include respective second slit portions and are formed in the housing from the second side thereof; first terminal members which include respective first connection terminal portions, first mounting terminal portions and first arm portions and are inserted into the respective first slits with the respective first arm portions being fixedly pressed into the respective first slit portions; and second terminal members which include respective second connection terminal portions, second mounting terminal portions and second arm portions and are inserted into the respective second slits with the respective second arm portions being fixedly pressed into the respective second slit portions, wherein each of the first slits and each of the second slits are alternately arranged side by side so that each of the first slit portions and each of the second slit portions are alternately arranged in a staggered fashion, and each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side in a row in said housing so that each of positions a t which said respective first arm portions are fixed and each of positions at which said respective second arm portions are fixed are arranged in the staggered fashion.